Like New~traded Back For A New Ls460~build Date Was 02/22/2013! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Honda, Nissan, and Toyota expand Takata recall by millions worldwide

Honda, Nissan, and Toyota are expanding their global Takata airbag inflator recalls to cover millions of additional vehicles. Toyota alone is adding about 5 million vehicles to its campaign globally, and over 600,000 of those are in the US, according to Automotive News. Nissan's expansion includes an estimated 1.56 million cars worldwide, including about 326,000 in North America, but the exact models from the company are not yet known. According to Automotive News, Honda has also announced plans to increase the scope of its campaign but hasn't yet disclosed specific models, total numbers, or their location. Company spokesperson Chris Martin tells Autoblog that none of these vehicles are in the US, though. In the US, Toyota is replacing the driver's side front inflators on 160,000 examples of the 2004 and 2005 RAV4 nationwide. It's also swapping out the front passenger side parts for 177,000 units of the 2003 and 2004 Tundra (pictured above) and 2004 Sequoia. The automaker is also expanding its regional recalls in high-humidity areas to include the passenger-side inflators of 300,000 more vehicles. In total, the affected models are 2005-2007 model-year Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia, and Lexus SC; plus the 2005-2006 Tundra is included, as well. All of the states that are covered by this campaign are listed in Toyota's announcement, below. In a statement to Autoblog, Nissan said that it's currently working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on this campaign. "We expect to have a more formal statement and additional information by Friday, May 15," the company said. TOYOTA EXPANDS TAKATA AIRBAG SAFETY RECALLS TORRANCE, Calif., May 12, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it is expanding its recalls involving Takata air bag inflators. First, Toyota will conduct a recall to replace Takata-supplied driver front airbag inflators on approximately 160,000 model year 2004 and 2005 RAV4 sport utility vehicles. The inflators could potentially be susceptible to rupture when deployed in a crash, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants. For similar reasons, Toyota will expand two existing recalls for Takata-supplied front passenger airbag inflators, namely: Toyota's nationwide recall launched in April 2013 will expand to include approximately an additional 177,000 model year 2003-2004 Tundra and model year 2004 Sequoia vehicles.

Lexus' Detroit reveal is RC F, will have 460-hp V8

Yesterday, we brought you the image above, sent out by Lexus, teasing its Detroit Auto Show reveal. At the time, all we knew about the car was that it's a coupe, and falls into the automaker's F performance line. But now, some more details have leaked.
An anonymous tipster passed us a link to this website, which Lexus is using to invite folks to an event at the Detroit show where the new RC F coupe will be revealed. But that same tipster also sent us a scan of the mailed-out invitation, shown at right (click the image to enlarge), which clearly states that the RC F will be powered by a 460-horsepower V8. The invite also says Lexus will show its 2015 RC 350 coupe in Detroit, following its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in November.
We cannot totally verify the authenticity of the scanned invitation, but with a corresponding website live on the web, it all looks pretty legit to us. Stay tuned for more details closer to the RC F's debut in January.

Lexus RX Luggage Test (2016-2022): How much cargo space?

This post has been updated from its original version to reflect new information provided by Lexus engineers. There's something seemingly funky going on with the Lexus RX spec sheet, or at least with the cargo capacity measuring method used to populate it with an official cubic-foot number. Basically, the specs say it has 16.0 cubic feet behind its raised back seat. That would be less than a Toyota C-HR, which is a notably cramped subcompact SUV. All you need are eyes to know something's fishy about that. Doing these luggage tests has revealed other car companies also report cargo capacity figures that sell their SUVs short relative competitors, but this is a new low, so to speak.  After a few back-and-forths with Lexus (and several months), plus a revealing glance at the extended length RX L's spec sheet, I came upon the answer: the 16.0 cubic-feet indicated is a measurement of the cargo floor to the cargo cover. The industry norm is cargo floor to the roof. Both numbers are provided for the RX L: 15.26 cubic-feet to the cargo cover and 23.03 to the roof. That's still not a lot for a midsize SUV, but assuming the regular RX is in the same numerical ballpark, it would make a lot more sense given how much stuff you can actually fit inside.  Speaking of which, let's see just how much stuff you can fit inside. It's definitely more than a C-HR. This is a wide, deep space. However, the current RX has a more radically raked roofline than its predecessors, which almost achieves a crossover coupe look. The result is less overall cargo space (and likely a less-than-stellar floor-to-ceiling cargo spec), but losing greenhouse usually effects versatility more. Basically, you can carry a comparable number of bags, but that 52-inch TV will be a tough get.  To begin, I left the cargo cover in place. As in every luggage test I do, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife's fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D). Fitting only the four biggest bags isn't great, but it's also the result of keeping the cargo cover in place (I do this to replicate a situation where you can't just leave it behind in your garage). It also pretty much confirms that 16.0-cubic-foot number.